Doug Henwood wrote:
> No state = no contracts, no money, no cops, no army. Try ruling
> without those things.
but the bourgeoisie doesn't need to actually run the government or the state (i.e., to govern) to get all of these things it wants and needs.
Part of the "relative autonomy of the state" is that most of the bourgeoisie would rather stay out of politics and accumulate capital. And most members don't want other capitalists "pulling a Bush," i.e., using governmental power to accumulate capital. So professional politicians (or willing capitalists or thugs) are brought in to do the dirty work of managing the system, for relatively low pay (with advise and consent of the "wise men," as JKS notes).
So there's a non-correspondence between the ruling class (those who run the socio-economic system) and the state managers (the political power elite). -- Jim Devine / "There can be no real individual freedom in the presence of economic insecurity." -- Chester Bowles